By Nigel Hunt
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - All-Star guard Kobe Bryant (news) signed a new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers (news) on Thursday but said the NBA team may struggle next season following the departure earlier this week of Shaquille O'Neal (news).
Bryant rejected a strong offer from local rivals the Los Angeles Clippers (news) and chose to stay with the team he has played for throughout his eight-year NBA career.
"I've been a Lakers fan since I was a little kid. Being a Laker is part of me," Bryant told a news conference during which he signed a new seven-year contract which reportedly is worth around $136 million.
The Lakers had made keeping the free agent guard its top priority during the off-season, particularly after trading All-Star center O'Neal to the Miami Heat (news) on Wednesday and parting company with coach Phil Jackson.
"It is an uphill battle (to win without O'Neal). It was a sad day for Los Angeles yesterday. It was sad for me, it was sad for everybody," Bryant said.
Both Jackson and O'Neal had stormy relationships with 25-year-old Bryant but the Lakers guard said he was angry, upset and hurt at suggestions that he was behind their departures.
"Shaq is an incredible player and we had a great run together despite the ups and downs...In a perfect world we would have all come back and won another one (championship)," Bryant said.
END OF DYNASTY
The departure of O'Neal and Jackson is seen by many as signaling the end of a dynasty which saw the Lakers win NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and reach four NBA finals during the last five years.
Los Angeles hired Rudy Tomjanovich as head coach on Saturday to replace Jackson who resigned just days after the team's defeat in the 2004 NBA finals by the Detroit Pistons (news).
The Lakers lost another member of their championship teams on Thursday when free agent point guard Derek Fisher (news) agreed to sign for the Golden State Warriors (news).
Bryant must now turn his attention to overcoming his legal problems. He has been accused of raping a woman hotel staffer in Colorado last year and his trial is scheduled to begin on August 27.
Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak was asked by reporters if he viewed signing Bryant as a risk due to the trial.
"If there is any risk, it is certainly a risk we were willing to take," Kupchak said.
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Yep 136 million reasons to stay with the Lakers. Not that I don't like Kobe or anything, but NO ONE is worth $136 million bucks! NO ONE!
As for Shaq leaving being sad, I think it's sadder that my favorite player Fisher leaving is sadder. Shaq has done nothing now but bad mouth a team that bent over backwards for him the whole time he was on the team! Including, at the time, giving him the biggest contract in NBA history...and they even in the end bent over backwards for him by giving in to his tantrums and demands about wanting to be traded. That wasn't what the Lakers had intended upon doing but he made so much of a stink about it that they gave in to him. So if that's the way you're going to treat a team that did everything you wanted then, I say good riddance to you Shaq!
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - All-Star guard Kobe Bryant (news) signed a new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers (news) on Thursday but said the NBA team may struggle next season following the departure earlier this week of Shaquille O'Neal (news).
Bryant rejected a strong offer from local rivals the Los Angeles Clippers (news) and chose to stay with the team he has played for throughout his eight-year NBA career.
"I've been a Lakers fan since I was a little kid. Being a Laker is part of me," Bryant told a news conference during which he signed a new seven-year contract which reportedly is worth around $136 million.
The Lakers had made keeping the free agent guard its top priority during the off-season, particularly after trading All-Star center O'Neal to the Miami Heat (news) on Wednesday and parting company with coach Phil Jackson.
"It is an uphill battle (to win without O'Neal). It was a sad day for Los Angeles yesterday. It was sad for me, it was sad for everybody," Bryant said.
Both Jackson and O'Neal had stormy relationships with 25-year-old Bryant but the Lakers guard said he was angry, upset and hurt at suggestions that he was behind their departures.
"Shaq is an incredible player and we had a great run together despite the ups and downs...In a perfect world we would have all come back and won another one (championship)," Bryant said.
END OF DYNASTY
The departure of O'Neal and Jackson is seen by many as signaling the end of a dynasty which saw the Lakers win NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and reach four NBA finals during the last five years.
Los Angeles hired Rudy Tomjanovich as head coach on Saturday to replace Jackson who resigned just days after the team's defeat in the 2004 NBA finals by the Detroit Pistons (news).
The Lakers lost another member of their championship teams on Thursday when free agent point guard Derek Fisher (news) agreed to sign for the Golden State Warriors (news).
Bryant must now turn his attention to overcoming his legal problems. He has been accused of raping a woman hotel staffer in Colorado last year and his trial is scheduled to begin on August 27.
Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak was asked by reporters if he viewed signing Bryant as a risk due to the trial.
"If there is any risk, it is certainly a risk we were willing to take," Kupchak said.
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Yep 136 million reasons to stay with the Lakers. Not that I don't like Kobe or anything, but NO ONE is worth $136 million bucks! NO ONE!
As for Shaq leaving being sad, I think it's sadder that my favorite player Fisher leaving is sadder. Shaq has done nothing now but bad mouth a team that bent over backwards for him the whole time he was on the team! Including, at the time, giving him the biggest contract in NBA history...and they even in the end bent over backwards for him by giving in to his tantrums and demands about wanting to be traded. That wasn't what the Lakers had intended upon doing but he made so much of a stink about it that they gave in to him. So if that's the way you're going to treat a team that did everything you wanted then, I say good riddance to you Shaq!